So sometimes I have heard that prologues are lazy and epilogues worse. But used as an ID channel theatrical device — ie the murdered screaming woman is shown in prologue and then shown happy and smiling in the first real beat of the plot line does too much work to raise emotional stakes without the writer earning it. However I found The …
So sometimes I have heard that prologues are lazy and epilogues worse. But used as an ID channel theatrical device — ie the murdered screaming woman is shown in prologue and then shown happy and smiling in the first real beat of the plot line does too much work to raise emotional stakes without the writer earning it. However I found The Incident to gain resonance through a set up as opposed to a “vomit” of emotional resonance to hook you— it does have to braid all the way through and backward to the first line — so it has to have emotional elasticity to the same tension throughout— anyway that’s my humble opinion. As far as trying to find a concentrated essence I feel much more invested as a reader if the essence is a bit more diffuse and open to a true honesty of messiness like life is—
So sometimes I have heard that prologues are lazy and epilogues worse. But used as an ID channel theatrical device — ie the murdered screaming woman is shown in prologue and then shown happy and smiling in the first real beat of the plot line does too much work to raise emotional stakes without the writer earning it. However I found The Incident to gain resonance through a set up as opposed to a “vomit” of emotional resonance to hook you— it does have to braid all the way through and backward to the first line — so it has to have emotional elasticity to the same tension throughout— anyway that’s my humble opinion. As far as trying to find a concentrated essence I feel much more invested as a reader if the essence is a bit more diffuse and open to a true honesty of messiness like life is—